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For Americans, the World Cup has a lot of strange things. We are not used to games ending in a draw. We don’t really recognize the beauty of teams passing the ball back and forth and trying to see where it makes sense to attack the defense. Most of all, however, we are not used to big tournaments playing a third place, but we get that here as France take on England.
France disappointed me for various reasons. Even if I didn’t have a ticket to win the World Cup, I would probably have been disappointed when they played Spain. They looked like they were little kids playing against adults out there. The lack of urgency, the skill gaps and the overall performance looked brutal compared to what we have seen from France in all the other World Cup matches.
France’s Kylian Mbappe scored the go-ahead and ultimately match-winning goal against Paraguay on a penalty kick. (James Lang-Imagn Photos)
All France really has to play for now is pride. It was disappointing to see them not bother against Spain, but they have still been very strong against almost every other team in the league. Now the other thing they can take a shot at is getting Kylian Mbappe another goal. He has eight, which is tied with Lionel Messi for the Golden Boot, but he has fewer assists, so if he doesn’t score, he will lose.
HOW TO WATCH ENGLAND VS FRANCE: LIVE STREAM 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP THIRD PLACE MATCH
England blew it. That’s really the overwhelming thought of almost every analyst and everyone else. England fans are furious with their manager for “parking the bus” in the second half of the game. I can’t say I blame them. England looked like they were just trying to run out the clock instead of being aggressive. We know Argentina are a good team, but England didn’t play a real team away; they seemed to just fill the box and hope their opponent wouldn’t score.
England’s Harry Kane celebrates after scoring a penalty kick during a round of 16 soccer match against Mexico in Mexico City, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (Eduardo Verdugo/AP)
England can still make this a successful World Cup with a win. Of course, it’s not the same as winning the tournament, but coming in third seems like it would be a surprisingly successful run for them. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham have proven to be one of the best duos in the entire tournament. The problem is that it just hasn’t been enough. I expect them to be more aggressive after the disaster in the last game.
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Does that mean they will find the back of the net more times? I kind of doubt it, but I expect both teams to attack regularly. Initial line in this game was at 2.5 with juice on top; it has now moved to 3.5, giving a good middle option if you bet over originally.
(Left) England’s Harry Kane leaves the field at the end of the first half during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Georgia, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (Right) France’s Kylian Mbappe (10) celebrates scoring the opening goal during the World Cup quarter-final soccer quarter-final in Morocco in July, Foxborough, Massachusetts, Thursday, in France, Boston, Massachusetts, in soccer near France, Boston, Massachusetts. 2026. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP Newsroom; Steven Senne/AP Newsroom)
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France is still, in my eyes, the best team in the tournament – apart from Spain, I think. I think they will probably win this game in 90 minutes at -110, but I really don’t know how motivated either team will be in a third place game. I think Mbappe will try to score as many goals as possible for the golden boot. Him at +300 is worth a flyer for two goals. I’ll also go under 3.5 as I just can’t see this game getting four goals.
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